Move over, Cubs. The Windy City is poised for another miracle this year. A team of Chicago-based researchers will soon begin human trials on a breakthrough cancer therapy that spurs the immune system to fight tumors.

That's just one example of how Illinois' vibrant biopharmaceutical industry is working to improve Americans' health and create local jobs.

Unfortunately, such benefits could soon evaporate. In Washington, D.C., several lawmakers have joined with the current administration to push for the legalization of foreign drug importation. This policy could cause our local biopharma industry to vanish.

Lawmakers believe this policy change would drive down health care costs. This is a laudable goal. But allowing drug importation is the wrong solution. It would jeopardize Illinois' job-creators, workers and patients.

The state's biopharmaceutical sector propels Illinois' economy. It employs more than 45,000 workers and indirectly supports some 293,000 workers in other fields, such as vending, supply and IT. All told, the biopharma industry generates $81.1 billion in economic output every year.

Drug innovation benefits everyone — but it's not cheap. The average cost of testing and producing a new drug is more than $2.5 billion. U.S. companies spend that much to ensure that their drugs meet the FDA's high safety standards.

Foreign drug companies, however, don't play by the same rules. Drugs are cheaper abroad, in part, because many foreign companies don't do the research themselves. They rely on America's investments. In fact, the United States produces over half of the globe's new medicines.

These countries then impose price controls on American-developed medications. There's little the United States can do about such controls; U.S. companies simply eat the costs.

Allowing drug importation effectively would import these price controls into the United States. U.S. companies would be forced to match the prices of those abroad.

That might seem good at first. But, it actually would be a disaster. Forced to offer artificially lower prices, U.S. companies would be unable to recoup the enormous investment of research and development. To offset the loss of revenue, they'd either cut down on operations — laying off workers — or they'd quit researching and developing new drugs altogether.

More immediately, drug importation seriously would threaten patient safety. The FDA has determined that "many drugs sold in foreign countries/areas as 'foreign versions' of approved prescription drugs sold in the United States are often of unknown quality ... and may pose a risk to the patient's health." A 2003 study of a foreign shipment of drugs confirmed that 88 percent of the shipments contained drugs that didn't meet the FDA's safety standards.

Rather than talking up imports, the administration should advocate for policies that truly lower drug costs without hurting American workers and patients.

For instance, Congress and the administration could reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. Established about 20 years ago, PDUFA requires that drug companies pay the FDA when they submit drug approval applications. These fees help the FDA to streamline its approval process, making drug approvals more efficient. As a result, more drugs enter the market faster, promoting competition and driving down prices. PDUFA is up for reauthorization in September, so leaders should be sure to approve it.

Washington is right to want to slash drug costs — but not at the expense of the Illinois' biopharma industry and patient health. The best approach will lower costs, expedite access to breakthrough medications and keep American research companies thriving.

— Joseph Gaspero is CEO and co-founder of the Center for Healthcare Innovation, based in Chicago.

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